Screenwriter and Development Producer
Member of the Board | Estonian Screenwriters’ Guild
Member | Writers’ Guild of Great Britain
Ph. +372 5648 3490
E-mail leana@leanajalukse.com
Leana Jalukse (b. 1979) is an Estonian screenwriter and script consultant. Her debut film, MOTHER (2016), premiered internationally in competition at the Tribeca Film Festival in the USA, won Best Feature at Kitzbühel in Austria, and Best Estonian Feature at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. It was also selected as Estonia’s national entry for the Oscars and nominated for Best Screenplay at the Estonian Film and TV Awards.
FIRE LILY (2018) premiered at Mannheim-Heidelberg, while DESERTED (2021, as co-writer) premiered at Busan and won Best Feature at the Estonian Film and TV Awards. KIDS OF THE NIGHT (2021, as script doctor) won Best Screenplay at the Estonian Film and TV Awards.
The feature documentary KELLY – SOMEONE ELSE’S DREAM, where she served as writer and director, held its world premiere at Hot Docs in April 2024, reaching the top 10 in audience rankings, and opened theatrically in Estonian cinemas to box office success in October 2024.
In recent years, Leana has focused primarily on drama series. Her first, the Estonian-Latvian-Italian co-production VON FOCK premiered in prime time on Estonian National Television in March 2025 and is represented internationally by ZDF Studios, Germany. Her current development slate includes BREAKING THE ICE, shortlisted at the C21 Drama Series Script Competition 2023; BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN, which won Most Promising Project at the TV Beats Co-Financing Market 2023; and THE CODE OF THULE, which received development financing from the Estonian Film Institute and was named Best Estonian Project at Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event 2024.
In 2025, Leana was selected for the international Pop Up Series Incubator programme, where she is developing the Romanian project ANGELMAKER in collaboration with series creator Cristina Groșan and French screenwriter Loïc Barrère.
Leana teaches screenwriting, runs development workshops, and serves as an expert for international film funds, markets, and workshops. She is a founding and board member of the Estonian Screenwriters’ Guild, and a member of the Estonian Filmmakers’ Union and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain.